# Build your own six-pack!



## jwise

I've seen 'build your own six-packs' at high-end grocery stores, and certain package stores, but when I was at Kroger's today and saw that they too offered this option, I got VERY excited!

I decided to treat my wife (who LOVES beer) to a blind taste sampling of six premium beers.

I selected six beers and used the provided six-pack cardboard case to bring 'em home!










I selected a few I have tried, and a few new ones. I wasn't sure if my wife had tried any of them.

I labeled them 1-6, and poured a small amount in each of our glasses before bringing them to her on the couch. I had a pad of paper and pen, and just asked her what she thought about each one. She gave me some nosing and tasting notes, a reference to her favorite "everyday" beer (Shiner Bock), and then I had her grade each on a 10pt scale and tell me how much she'd pay for each one.

The lineup:










*1) Shiner Frost*

Notes: Smells light with a light color. Tastes like an ale, spicy and very tasty. It doesn't feel 'heavy', but comes across as a light and spicy heffeweisen.

Score: 9.5 
Would pay $8.50/six-pack

*2) Newcastle Brown Ale*

Notes: Dark in color, with a sweet smell. Very smooth, medium body with almost no aftertaste. Similar to Shiner Bock, but sweeter.

Score: 7
Would pay $7/six-pack

*3) Warsteiner*

Notes: Light in color, with a not so good smell. Very strong on the tongue, very little finish. Sour notes. Very 'blah'. Tastes like Coors Light with a little more taste.

Score: 5
Would pay $4.50/six-pack

*4) Dundee Honey Brown*

Notes: Amber color, with the smell of an amber bock. Tastes of almonds, sweet, but kinda boring (consistent). Pleasant taste with a smooth finish. Easily drinkable, and very enjoyable.

Score: 7.5
Would pay $6/six-pack

*5) Spaten Optimator*

Notes: Intensely dark in color, nearly opaque. Pleasant aroma. Delicious taste, nutty aftertaste with a spicy finish. A very hearty beer, nearly a meal substitute. This beer is one to drink when you just want to drink a beer.

Score: 9.5
Would pay $10.50/six-pack

*6) ***** Modelo*

Notes: Amber in color, and tastes like an amber bock (VERY similar to Shiner Bock). Very smooth, with little aftertaste.

Score: 8
Would pay $7/six-pack

After the tasting, each of us picked our favorite beer and CHEERS!


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## LincolnSmokes

Very nice. I done those build a sixer before, but never with those nicer kinds of beer. Awesome.


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## ekengland07

When I lived in TN, the Kroger there had the same thing. I've since moved, but we have a local wine/beer shop that claim they have 1000s of different bottles of beer. All can be purchased as singles. I'm working my way through them. 

Cool tasting idea for your wife. I agree with the Warsteiner review. Definitely not my favorite.


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## jwise

ekengland07 said:


> When I lived in TN, the Kroger there had the same thing. I've since moved, but we have a local wine/beer shop that claim they have 1000s of different bottles of beer. All can be purchased as singles. I'm working my way through them.
> 
> Cool tasting idea for your wife. I agree with the Warsteiner review. Definitely not my favorite.


Warsteiner Dunkel IS one of my favorite beers, so I was a bit disappointed to find the standard offering so disagreeable.

I've tried Newcastle before, and it was much as I remembered. Same with Negra Modelo. Dundee and Frost were the new ones for me.

Personally, I'd rather drink whisky than beer, but my wife is the other way around...

Frankly, we'd both really enjoy a wine tasting. The problem with a wine tasting is that wine must be drunk within a few days of it being opened (24hrs for optimum taste). While we can kill a bottle in one night pretty easily, we could only open two, maybe three bottles for a tasting and still finish them before they go bad. I'm not sure a wine tasting of only three varieties would even be worth it.


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## jwise

I did it again! I couldn't help myself, so when I was at the store today, I picked up six new brews! We aren't going to open all of them tonight, but we'll sample a couple over the next week or so.

I picked up:

*Smithwick's*










*George Killian's Irish Red* (one of my absolute favorites!)










*Kirin Ichiban*










*Amstel Light *










*Heineken Dark*










*Abita Amber*


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## jwise

My wife and I tried three of the beers tonight. Our comments follow:

*Smithwick's:*

"Smells like a beer." Tasty! "I like it!" Very malty. Very clean finish. Very dark amber color.

Score: 9
Would pay $8/six-pack

*Abita Amber:*

Strong aftertaste. Light amber coloring. Tastes like many Octoberfest beers I've tried.

Score: 6
Would pay $5/six-pack

*Heinken Dark:*

Very malty. Good. Dark Amber in color.

Score: 7
Would pay $7/six-pack


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## jwise

We tried a couple more of the beers:

*Amstel Light:*

This beer tasted nearly exactly like Coors Light. Very disappointing...

*Kirin Ichiban:*

Pretty good. Very different. Spicy with a complex flavor. It is still a light colored beer, but has a lot more depth than most light beers.

*George Killian's Irish Red:*

Simply fantastic. This is one of the best beers I have ever tasted. I don't know why I don't keep this on hand 24/7. My wife enjoyed it as well. If you haven't tried this one, you really owe it to yourself.


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## commonsenseman

Thanks for the reviews!


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## LincolnSmokes

jwise said:


> *George Killian's Irish Red* (one of my absolute favorites!)


+1 I love that brew!


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## jwise

Tried some more:

*Samuel Adams: Black Lager*










Pretty much what you'd expect in a beer called "Black Lager." It was pretty dark, and very STOUT! The taste was pretty one-dimensional, which was good for what it was. I don't really like these mega-dark monsters, so I wasn't too impressed.

If you like Guiness, and the other ultra-dark beers, this is one to try!


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## jwise

*Abita: Turbodog*










This is yet another ultra-dark beer, and frankly, tasted a whole lot like the Sam Adams Black Lager. If I had tasted these two at the same time, or in a blind taste test, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell them apart.


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## jwise

*Saint Arnold: Lawnmower*










This is a light colored beer, that brings out everything good about Coors Light, or something similar, with just a bit more flavor and without any of the "am I drinking water or beer" frustration.

This wouldn't necessarily be my go-to beer, but if you have a discerning palate, and like the lighter side of brews, then this might be a good one to try out.

Frankly, I'll pass.


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## jwise

*Dos Equis: Amber*










Ah! Now THIS is my kind of beer! It is DEFINITELY a Mexican beer, but without that "edge" that a lot of 'cervezas' have.

I will typically drop a lime in my Mexican beers, but this one needs no such condiment! This beer brings you back to the beach, but is a bit more refined and 'fuller' in its flavor profile than Corona, Dos Equis (non-amber), etc...

This is not in the same league as Negra Modela, but a very tasty brew, indeed!

If I didn't have any limes with me, or didn't want to fuss with them, I would definitely reach for this beer if I was in the 'Mexican beer' mood!


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## jwise

*Fat Tire: Amber Ale*










A very good beer on the lighter side of life. It calls itself an Amber, but it was more of a pale amber. I was drinking it thinking, "I could really go for some hot wings about now!" This beer adds a bit more flavor to the party than Saint Arnold Lawnmower, or any of the other lighter colored brews. It has a depth to it that I enjoyed, but at the same time, made me want something salty, crunchy, or spicy to go with it.

Very good brew. Definitely one to try.


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## abrand

As my true passion (addiction) is craft beer and cigars being close behind, I will advise anyone who even has hints of liking non-macro beers to please go to a liquor store near you and find a 6 pack of Bell's Two Hearted ale and you will be blown away. It may sound crazy to some, but I review every beer I try on a similar website to this but for beer lovers. And yes, I spend hundreds of dollars on beer every month, but I absolutely love it.


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## vanvan84

The two hearted ale is a great beer. If you have not tried Oberon from bells I suggest you do. I do not know how hard it would be to get outside of Michigan and they were only making it in the summer but might have changed that now but if you see it buy it almost everyone I know likes it. It is like Blue moon. (I used to live in Michigan) My parents have a kegerator in their basement and we used to get keg's of it during the summer. Oh how I miss Michigan summers.


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## Theophilus

I love the make your own six packs! I started doing it at Whole Foods and then found that Trader Joe's was a little cheaper even though they don't have the selection. Anybody ever tried Bridgeport ESB? Its great. I think its brewed in Portland, OR.


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## Justy P

Dos Equis Amber is a hands down favorite of mine... 

I tried Abita while on vacation in New Orleans a few years back and loved it...

Sadly, it's not readily available in Southern California.


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## phinz

As a fellow Houstonian I must agree with your wife's preferred daily. Shiner Bock is one fine brew for every day libations. I was beside myself when we started getting Shiner on draft here in Tennessee. Much happiness was expressed.


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## HGFlex

Thanks for the reviews, they are great!

We must have similar taste in beers, becuase you've pegged alot of my favourites as your as well, I personally LOVE Smithwick's and I've added George Killians Irish Red to my "to try" list.

Keep 'em coming!


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## jwise

I've had it before, but it has been a while, so I went ahead and got a bottle to try again...

*St Pauli Girl: Special Dark*










Ooohh! I love this beer! It's a bit one-dimensional, not developing complex tastes while drinking, however it is a joy to drink! Rich, dark, enveloping, this beer is one I'd like to keep on hand.

I enjoyed it with a bit of aged gouda, which really complemented the big brew.


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## jwise

I tried out a couple new ones tonight!

*Drop Top: Amber Ale*










Very tasty brew! This beer reminded me of Abita Amber. They both have something of what I call "pumpkin spice" to their tastes. They are reminiscent of Octoberfest-type of brews. Very complex flavors, and definitely enjoyable.

I would rank the Drop Top just above the Abita Amber.


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## jwise

*Beck's: Dark*










My wife and I were enjoying a couple new brews while eating dinner tonight. I had grilled up a couple filets and a skewer of shrimp. While the food was indeed quite good, the Beck's Dark took the cake!

This was one GREAT beer! Dark, rich, and complex. I really enjoyed it, but the best reaction came from my wife! She exclaimed, "this is REALLY good!" I usually have to coax any comments out of her, so that really says a lot!

I highly recommend the Beck's Dark. I would like to try it again, back to back with the Smithwick's. If one was better than the other, it might be Smithwick's, but it would be VERY close.


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## commonsenseman

Some more great beer-views! Thanks!

I am currently enjoying my favorite beer in the world, a Guiness Extra Stout!


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## jwise

Enjoyed another new one tonight with a friend while grilling a few GIANT ribeyes!

*Saint Arnold: Brown Ale*










Very good brew! This beer had a "sweet" taste.... Maybe not ACTUALLY a sweet taste, but a flavor that was reminiscent of 'sweet'. My friend and I both really enjoyed this beer. It was true to form as a 'brown ale', delivering just what you'd expect. The finish was enjoyable.

In terms of category, this beer is smoother and less "Octoberfesty" than Abita Amber or Drop Top, but definitely is lighter and has more complexity than Beck's Dark or St. Pauli Girl.

On the downside, finding a sixpack of this stuff won't be easy.


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## jwise

I had a few more tonight...

*Warsteiner Dunkel*










FANTASTIC! I admit I've had it before, so there was no surprise, but WOW was it good! This is a classic German bier, but with a nice full-body that gives it a fantastic flavor. I absolutely love this beer when I'm in the mood for a good, dark, German beer!


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## jwise

*Carlsberg*










This was a very nice, smooth light beer. Truth be told, I was also smoking a mild cigar (Rocky Patel Autumn Collection), so the flavor might not have been perfectly detected on my palate. 

I did find myself enjoying this brew, which I admit I did not expect!


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## jwise

*Harp Premium Lager*










Unfortunately, I was enjoying some good conversation and not paying much attention to this brew. I know I liked it well enough, but I don't remember much about it!


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## snowboardin58

If you can get Bell's, DO IT! It is great. My favorite brewery, however, is Founders out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. But as of last year, they only distributed in seven states. They were recently rated #4 brewery by Rate-Beer! which is a very popular beer website. Beer Advocate I believe is a little bigger and has a magazine as well.. they've rated Founders in a similar spot and two of their beers have been featured in the top 10 at the same time. While some styles just aren't for me, none of their beers I have had are what I would consider "bad" or sub-par. Founders Centennial IPA, Pale Ale, Red's Rye, Dirty Bastard, Harvest Ale, and Double Trouble are great. Porter is fantastic. Shit, I might as well finish off and say Breakfast Stout/KBS are RIDICULOUSLY good, Porter is excellent, Backwoods Bastard is AWESOME, as is Devil Dancer, Cerise is good, Curmudgeon.. and everything on tap there! mmm, Black Biscuit, Canadian Breakfast Stout, Oatmeal Stout, ect.... Nemesis will be out of this world!


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## jwise

I grilled a couple ribeyes, a skewer of shrimp, and paired it with some sushi rolls (salmon and tuna) for a GREAT dinner tonight for me and the Mrs.

I served us up a few new brews, so here's the latest:

*Michelob Original Lager*










Wanting to taste a classic Lager, I decided to try this number out. I must say, I liked it! It wasn't the big brew that I usually go for, but the TASTE was more to my liking than other beers on the lighter side of the color spectrum.

I don't think I'd buy a six-pack of the stuff, but if I was out and this was one of the beers to choose from, I wouldn't hesitate to grab one.


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## jwise

*Saint Arnold's Texas Wheat*










I usually don't pick out wheat beers, but after drinking this beauty I don't know why not! Smooth, tasty, and not at all 'sharp'. The flavor profile was much different than most beers, although neither my wife nor I could put it into words.

Again, I don't think I'd buy a six-pack of this beer, but my wife might!


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## jwise

*New Belgium: Blue Paddle Pilsener Lager*










Discovering that I like the taste of a Lager, I was expecting to like this beer as well. However, I knew it had that word "Pilsener" in front of "Lager", so I wasn't too sure what that was going to do to the taste.

I found out: it killed it! Yechht! I don't think I like Pilseners. If the Saint Arnold Texas Wheat was 'not sharp at all', this was the exact opposite! Harshness, sharp, intense.... I didn't care for it at all. I drank it, but did not enjoy it.

I have another Pilsner in the fridge, so I guess I'm going to find out if I just didn't like this one, or if I should just stay clear of the P-word...


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## commonsenseman

Great reviews as usual! In fact, they were so good I had to open something of my own :wink:

Left Hand - Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter










So besides having the longest name in the world, how is it? Very, very dark, chocolatey & rich. Almost tastes like it's been fortified with whiskey. It reminds me of Bourbon County Stout. Definately a "sipper".

I like it :biggrin:


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## phinz

Love me some smoked porters. Give Stone's Smoked Porter a shot sometime. It's like chewing your drink.


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## jwise

Smoked Porter? Never heard of that... I look forward to bringing one home!


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## jwise

I'm sitting outside, burning down a stogie and sipping Saint Arnold Spring Bock.










It's has a sweet character, unlike any other bock I've tried. It's good, especially sipping it while smoking a Flor de Oliva.

Definitely a good beer, and not just the same 'ol-same 'ol.


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## jwise

*Leinenkugel's Classic Amber*










This was a very interesting beer. My wife loved the aroma. I was unsure. On the tongue, my wife thought it was very good. I thought it tasted too much like a Pilsner, which I do not like.

The amber-ness came through to some extent, rounding out the flavor profile and smoothing out the finish.

If you like a Pilsner, you'll probably like this beer. If you don't, you probably won't...


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## jwise

*Sam Adams Cherry Wheat*










There is a very definite cherry aroma coming from this beer. It isn't just on the nose, but the taste has a faint cherry flavor as well. Now, not cherry as in the flavor had a unique taste that I attribute to cherry, but quite literally it tasted like someone squirted a bit of marachino cherry juice into a mediocre beer.

It reminded me of a cherry flavored medicine... You know, that taste of artificial cherry flavor on the back end of an otherwise nasty tasting cough syrup? Yeah, kind of like that...

Get this: we BOTH poured out over half our glasses of this concoction. We don't pour out beer around here. We DRINK beer. Even when I've got a Pilsner in front of me, I STILL don't pour it out.


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## jwise

*New Belgium 1554 Enlightened Black Ale*










My wife immediately caught the aroma of this beer and said, "raisins?" Not that this beer ACTUALLY smelled/tasted like it was brewed with raisins or anything, but it had almost a sweetness to it that reminded us of a raisin.

The beer had a very smooth finish, and a rich flavor. Very good beer. This is one I would reach for quite often. VERY drinkable...


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## tpharkman

If I had to create the last six-pack of beer I could ever drink they would probably all be from the same brewery. The beers would be the following:

Spotted Cow (summer season frivolity)
Fat Squirrel (early autumn in preparation for cooler weather)
Honey Bock (when cabin fever takes hold)
Stout (a hearty Guiness style offering to drive away the bitter cold)
Road Slush (as the temps warm with the promise of the close of winter)
Totally Naked (what I feel like doing every year when the temps reach above 70 again)

If any of you live in or near Wisconsin you may be somewhat familiar with these offerings from New Glarus Brewing Company. Unfortunately, they don't offer their beer for sale outside the state of Wisconsin so many will miss out on the opportunity to enjoy these fine options. I guess I am fortunate to live in Iowa so I can skip over the border and stock up when duty and desire calls. If only going to Cuba was as effortless.

The moral of the story is if you are ever going to be in Wisconsin leave room in the car for some added weight on the way back home.


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## jwise

*Spaten Dunkel:*










Oh boy! This one is FANTASTIC! In fact, I would put it up against Spaten Optimator, and it beats Warsteiner Dunkel. This is the best German Dunkel beer I have tasted.


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